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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25137979">Sparring Partners</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/KorgiKardigan/pseuds/NoNeedForStars'>NoNeedForStars (KorgiKardigan)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aang just thinks this is normal training, F/M, Fluff, Katara is beautiful and deserves to be described as such, Katara takes Aang on dates by sparring with him, Sparring, Sparring as a form of flirting</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 11:14:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,059</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25137979</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/KorgiKardigan/pseuds/NoNeedForStars</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Aang might be a fully realized Avatar, but that doesn’t mean he needs to stop training with Katara.</p>
<p>[aka, Aang figures out he's been going on dates with Katara the whole time.]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aang/Katara (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>128</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sparring Partners</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hewwo I'm sorry about the quality of the writing, I'm not the best writer but I'm trying my best! Wrote this in one sitting because I am in desperate need of Kataang fluff and realized I have the power to make my own. This is only my second fanfic haha. Hope this is something you all like! &lt;3</p>
<p>- Cecil</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><span>It was Toph who first brought it up, because of course she did. <br/></span><span><br/></span> <span>“Twinkle toes, you’re killin’ me with that mushy stuff.” She had said one day after Aang had come back from training with Katara, his tunic dripping from Katara managing to get the upper hand of their sparring match. </span><em><span>Again.</span></em></p>
<p>
  <span>“What mushy stuff?” He’d replied, wrapping the winds around himself to quickly dry himself off. “Katara and I were just training.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, and you and I don’t train anymore.” Toph said. “I don’t think you and Big Fancy Firelord Zuko do either. You can just say it’s how you flirt.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s not though. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Aang had thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t… think it is?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He managed to shake it off when Toph said it. Toph would make fun of him for anything, that was just how she showed her love, and he understood that about her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then Sokka brought it up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seriously, you two </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill me </span>
  </em>
  <span>with those sparring matches. Too oogie.” He grumbled, face scrunched into an unpleasant frown as Suki rolled her eyes at him with a smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We spar too, leave them be.” She had quipped, as Sokka whipped around to face her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“EXACTLY!” He exclaimed, pointing at her with emphasis, “And then it leads to-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Anyways.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Suki said with a finality Aang had never heard in her voice before. He thanked her silently. He did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>want to hear about that. “Sokka’s just teasing you two. You two have as much </span>
  <em>
    <span>training </span>
  </em>
  <span>time as you want.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aang tilted his head in confusion, but nodded all the same.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was when </span>
  <em>
    <span>Zuko </span>
  </em>
  <span>brought it up that he was sure something was up. He loved Zuko, he was one of his best friends, but the guy was incredibly dense when it came to… well anything social. Even with his experience with Mai, Zuko was a little oblivious to other people’s romantic intentions. The amount of times Aang had to explain to Zuko that </span>
  <em>
    <span>yes that girl who asked to talk to you at the last party was flirting </span>
  </em>
  <span>was most of his Keeping the Peace duties these days.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Spirits, it took Zuko seeing Aang kissing Katara in front of him for him to realize they were involved. That had been 2 months after they got together. Katara still teases him for it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zuko had gotten up from his throne, smiling at Aang as Katara left the room, mentioning they could go training in the bay nearby. Aang promised to follow, before Zuko tilted his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...Is that a euphemism?” He’d asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No! No no no-” Aang stammered, waving his hands, “We’re literally going to train. I like to keep up to date on my Waterbending.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zuko nodded, looking at the door in silent contemplation, “Should we be doing that too then? Do you need more firebending training?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Some part of Aang felt a bit defensive of his time with Katara, almost jumped to say no. Then he stopped and thought about it. Well… shouldn’t he? If he needed to keep up to date on Waterbending, why wasn’t he coming to Toph and Zuko?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe Toph and Sokka had a point.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Not about the euphemism but-</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe it was a kind of flirting?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nah, it’s like a date. With me and Katara, I mean.” He’d replied. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zuko nodded, “Oh, okay. Have fun on your date then.” He smiled amiably, before turning and walking back to his room. Aang nodded and ran after her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t until their next sparring match that Aang brought it up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Katara, amazing, beautiful, </span>
  <em>
    <span>talented </span>
  </em>
  <span>Katara, had once again frozen his feet, despite his best efforts to avoid it. Water swirled around her, and despite his best efforts to stay focused and fight back, he could never think straight when she was around. A thin whip of water slammed him in the back, knocking him over and breaking the ice around his feet, throwing him into the lake. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He quickly surfaces, shaking himself off as Katara laughs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Worth it. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He thinks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You wanna go again?” She asks, hand resting on her hip. Aang smiles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nah, I think I’m thoroughly beaten.” He stands up, and formally bows to her. “Sifu Katara.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Avatar Aang.” She replies, bowing back to him. She can’t make it more than 5 seconds without laughing, him joining her right away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He makes his way over to her without thinking. It always happens, like he’s drawn to her magnetically. Probably always has been, he thinks. He’s loved her for a long, long time. She’s only gotten more beautiful as they’ve gotten older and he’s learned more about her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As they lie down on the sand next to the lake, Aang looks over at her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey… when we do training are we going on dates?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She looks over at it for a few seconds.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then starts laughing hysterically.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aang watches for a few seconds, huffing a little, “Hey, it’s not that funny!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She wipes a few tears from her eyes, “I owe Toph 15 yuan.” She rolls over to nuzzle into his chest. “Sweetie, yeah, they kinda are. I always thought you knew that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean. Part of me did.” He says, “I guess I just thought this was just for training. Not anything else.” He sticks out his tongue, “I think Sokka and Suki think we’re being… uh… </span>
  <em>
    <span>intimate.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Katara scrunches up her face, “Ew, I don’t want my brother and his girlfriend speculating about that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, me neither.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sighs, before giggling again. Aang really likes that noise.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean. I always thought of them as dates. It might be training but it makes me feel closer to you, you know? Like… You’re the Avatar and everything but we still share waterbending together.” She says, before blushing a bit, “If that makes sense.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It does!” He says, hugging her closer, “I like waterbending with you. You’re really good at it too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I always beat you.” She says, smirking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, if you’d allow airbending-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If I allowed Avatar skills at all, you’d always win.” She says, “You have to earn it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ve always been good at motivating me.” He says, leaning in to kiss her gently. She giggles against his lips as he smiles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I love you.” She says, leaning in for another kiss.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He doesn’t have to say it back as he happily tangles his fingers through her hair. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She knows.</span>
</p>
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